Senior year, the year unlike the rest, the beginning of the end. Yes, this is all true, however, not for the reasons you may think. The beginning of the end is a tad bit dramatic, but the world has been hit with a pandemic, and our online lives have become a more permanent addition to the way we function nowadays. As students in our final year, arguably, one of the most important in our educational careers, we need to look to alternatives that allow us to embrace what the CAS program has to offer while also being “practical” pursuits considering our circumstances.
Creativity
For the creativity aspect of the CAS program, I usually do activities pertaining to debate because that is a way I am able to express myself. However, due to the circumstances of the pandemic, in-person assemblies will be a health hazard and according to the current faculty advisor, Zoom will be the new mode of communication for COMUN. This year, I hope to offer my advice and observe the new executive committee in any way I can as I will not be formally participating in COMUN but have been able to experience being a delegate, chair, and Secretary-General over the years. Hopefully, I can offer some insight into the process of COMUN during the year as there will be a new advisor, and my friend, Anargi will be the new secretary-general. So far I have been able to answer questions they have had and organize materials from my experience last year for them to access and use as a guide.
My main focus as we move back into quarantine is to express my creative side through visual arts, this may be through watercolors, paint, sketches, or even doodles. I will start recording all my drawings in a sketchbook which will act as an outlet for my emotions. I have always had an interest in art and I want to further explore it so I believe this will be the perfect time to take up a new skill. In terms of the learning outcomes, I will be challenging myself by trying to master a new skill this year that is very unfamiliar but something I feel that I will enjoy. My goal is to spend at least 40 minutes with my sketchbook each “session”, and I aim to have at least 4 sessions a week.
Action
The best action one can take during this time is to stay away from public areas and social distance as much as possible. However, there are subtle ways one can feel somewhat normal at such an uncertain time. Something that my family and I have always been a part of is the local sports center in Colombo, due to recent event, restrictions for the safety of members has just been put into place. One is that only specific sports that facilitate social distancing such as badminton and tennis, another being that there are specific time slots allocated to avoid large groups of people entering and allowing time for disinfecting of equipment. Due to school activities being put on hold, I decided that playing badminton and tennis during this year as a leisurely activity will be crucial in my physical wellbeing as well as my mental health. My goal is to play either badminton or tennis every week for at least six hours. Despite a hold on some of my favorite sports seasons at school, I know that physical activity is an integral part of who I am and will continue to commit to staying fit. Along with the learning outcome of commitment, comes perseverance and although the conditions may be different especially since I will not be playing team sports with my friends, I will continue to do my best at the activities available to me!
Service
For service, I made a lot of plans to kickstart the year but again, due to the pandemic, it will be very difficult to seamlessly start activities back up again. Although we have not confirmed the starting of service at school this year, I would still like to make goals as the group leader. It is important to never stop paying attention to things that matter to you and this is no exception! The plan for this year was to solidify activities each week that aid the girls from Emerge in life skills, for example, English speaking, cooking, swimming, public speaking, etc. If service were to proceed at some point this semester, I want to set a goal of distinguishing groups of important skills for example, “decision making” and dedicate specific activities and hours to achieving the skill. By doing this I can make a comprehensive plan for the Girls for Girls service this year and stay on top of the true mission of our club. This demonstrates initiative in terms of bringing in an idea of skill-building and planning it out through my goals and organization techniques.